RESOLVED: That the Academic Senate of the California State University (ASCSU) urge the CSU Office of Chancellor to facilitate the formation of Discipline Councils, similar to, for example, the English Council and the Math Council, in all of the academic programs within the CSU; and be it further

RESOLVED:
That the ASCSU urge that the Office of the Chancellor facilitate annual meetings of these discipline councils by providing resources, including, for example, a venue and web support for the councils; and be it further

RATIONALE:Intra- and intersystem projects, such as Intersegmental Major-Preparation Articulated Curriculum, Senate Bill (SB) 1440, Early Start, and Calstate Online have demonstrated the value of communication and coordination among the individual academic disciplines in the CSU and the value of ongoing discussion and planning among the department chairs of those disciplines, who generally are the primary managers of articulation and academic planning within their disciplines. These settings have demonstrated that gatherings of discipline faculty have further benefits, such as sharing of expertise and best practices, assistance in navigating the complex bureaucracy of the CSU, and communicating lessons on facilities, equipment, safety, and recruitment of faculty and students.

Using the existing councils as exemplars, the councils should be composed of department chairs (or designees). Chairs have access to the time and funds (albeit limited) to attend these meetings and the groups have typically self-organized. The Office of the Chancellor could facilitate the formation of these groups with a minimum investment in personnel and web resources but would gain valuable venues for testing ideas and obtaining informed opinions on System policy issues.